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ISIS's 'legacy of terror' in Iraq: UN verifies over 200 mass graves

Thursday, November 08, 2018

By Yoshita Singh

United Nations : Investigators have uncovered more than 200 mass graves containing thousands of bodies in areas of Iraq formerly controlled by the Islamic State, according to a United Nations human rights report. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) said that the 202 mass grave sites were found in governorates of Nineveh, Kirkuk, Salahuddin and Anbar in the north and western parts of the country – but there may be many more. In the joint report, "Unearthing Atrocities", released Tuesday, the UN entities said the evidence gathered from the sites "will be central to ensuring credible investigations, prosecutions and convictions" in accordance with international due process standards.

The top UN official in Iraq and the head of UNAMI Ján Kubiš said that the mass grave sites "are a testament to harrowing human loss, profound suffering and shocking cruelty."

"Determining the circumstances surrounding the significant loss of life will be an important step in the mourning process for families and their journey to secure their rights to truth and justice," he added.

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